Monster Automobile: Ford F-150 Raptor 2017

The Ford F-150 Raptor Series which arrived on the automobile market back in 2010 has since then known to be the beast of the road and off the road. The Ford F-150 Raptor is a certified off-road pickup, and it is not afraid to play rough or dirty anywhere anytime. The new 2017 Ford F-150 Raptor has been reformed from the ground up and from front to the back. It comes with a new aluminium bodywork rather than the former steel body which makes it less heavy; we are talking about losing 500 pounds of weight off the truck. :)

Also, the 6.2-liter V8 engine has been replaced with a smaller 3.5-liter turbocharged Ecotec V6 engine putting out 450 horsepower and 510 pound-feet of torque. But the lighter weight compensates for, the smaller engine giving it more power and less weight compared to the former 411 horsepower and 434 pound-feet of torque. The newly incorporated engine means you save about a quarter or more of fuel usage compared to the V8 engine.

With its new bodywork, the big box section frame is now visible and a new 44 percent larger Fox shock absorber that makes the former looks like a joke in comparison. The new Ford truck has an increased wheel travel with 13 inches in the front and 13.9 inches in the rear. The truck now has more width and height, six inches wider track and two inches suspension travel.

The Ford F-150 Raptor 2017 model comes with a switch mode for different terrain with just the push of a button you can switch between six different terrains at ease. The modes available for you to choose from are; Sport mode, Normal mode, Weather mode, Mud & Sand mode, Rock Crawl mode and Baja mode.

The Normal and Sport modes are pretty much for driving on a dry paved road, putting the truck in a two-wheel drive. The Normal mode as an automatic start-stop function and an upshift transmission that is at the mercy of the miles per gallon category. On the other hand, the Sport mode has a quicker throttle response and smoothens the responses in all areas with a transmission that sustains gears longer.

Rock mode offers maximum traction up steep and rugged cliffs with the engine in four-low with a 50.1 crawl ratio for maximum traction. In rock crawling, angles are important; the Raptor has an approach angle of 30 degrees, 22 degrees breakover angle and 23 degrees in departure with a locked in the rear differential.

If you happen to be in mud or sand, the Raptor will hold gears for some time longer, and traction control turned off to keep those wheels powered as you ascend the sand dune. It also locked into a 50/50 torque split in the four-wheel drive as the rear differential are locked in to make the best out of a low friction scenario.

Most fun happens in Baja mode with a button push the transmission goes into four-wheel drive and torque split between the rear and front. The antilag feature continues to keep the turbo spooled up when you are not on the throttle and guarantees you don’t lose torque. Out of the 10-speed transmission, the top five gears are locked out, so the revs are high regardless of letting the truck move on its own. Lastly, the weather mode uses the transfer case to put the Raptor in an all-wheel-drive mode. When the computer senses a loss of traction, power is redirected to the front wheels, and the throttle has less thrust to prevent you from spinning off the road unique only to the Raptor.